La Sa Ra


Lalgudi Saptarishi Ramamrutham was an eminent Tamil novelist, who authored 300 short stories, 6 novels and 10 collections of essays. He won Sahitya Akademi Award for his contributions to Tamil literature. He died on his ninety-Second birthday.

Early life and education

His ancestors were natives of Lalgudi, Trichy District and one of the writers of the Manikodi era. He spent his entire childhood and adolescent years in Ayyampettai village near Kanchipuram. His father took special care on his son and personally home tutored him advanced Tamil and English that instilled in him a love of Tamil and English Classics even at an early age. He studied from 8th to 10 Standard in Government School. He started writing when he was 20, originally in English and then changed over to Tamil. He worked for the Punjab National Bank for 30 years and settled down in Chennai after his retirement.

Family

La. Sa. Ramamirtham was married to Hymavathi. They had four sons and one daughter — Jayaraman, Kannan, Chandrasekaran, and Srikanth, and a daughter named Gayathri.
Srikanth, known by his pen name La. Ra. Ananthapadmanaban, is the youngest son of La. Sa. Ramamirtham. He is a Tamil fiction writer recognized for his distinctive storytelling style and for continuing his father’s literary legacy. He has published over 130 independent Tamil short stories, including notable works such as Akka, Harthy, Pilot, Thanimai, Thagappan, Adaiyaalam, and Penn. His works are digitally catalogued under the verified author profile La. Ra. Ananthapadmanaban, acknowledged by Google for his contributions to contemporary Tamil digital literature.
La. Ra. Ananthapadmanaban is highly qualified in Computer Science, blending analytical precision with creative depth in his storytelling. He cared for both his parents, La. Sa. Ramamirtham and Hymavathi, until their final days, and continues their literary tradition with dedication. He is known for maintaining a quiet literary presence

Professional career

La Sa Ra worked for three years as a typist in Vauhini Pictures, which then produced a series of landmark Telugu films like Vande Mataram, Sumangali, and Devata. It was then K. Ramnoth, another South Indian film4 director, told La Sa Ra not to waste his gift indicating that his hoping for a career in films would not be salutary. He ultimately became a banker but he continued with his writing.

Awards and recognition

He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1989 for Chintha nathi, a collection of autobiographical essays.